Truth about me and the Arctic Monkeys
BY GORDON BROWN
GORDON Brown has put paid to the myth that he is a huge fan of award-winning rockers Arctic Monkeys.
The former PM was believed for more than a decade to be an unlikely devotee of the Sheffield group – whose hits include I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor and When The Sun Goes Down.
The legend grew from a throwaway line in a magazine – and was so widely believed he was invited to present frontman Alex Turner and the band with a lifetime achievement award. He politely declined.
But in his book My Life, Our Times, which comes out on Tuesday, the 66-year-old former premier pours cold water on the rumours of his Arctic fandom.
And he admits he prefers The Beatles and Coldplay.
Brown writes: “Just before I became prime minister, a casual question turned into a bit of a PR disaster. At the end of an interview for New Woman magazine there was a round of quickfire questions.
“One was: Did I prefer the Arctic Monkeys to James Blunt? Not knowing much about either, I said I actually preferred Coldplay but added, ‘The Arctic Monkeys would certainly wake you up in the morning’.
“That one throwaway remark instantly led to a bit of a political storm … all hell broke loose about me trying too hard to present myself as someone I was not.
“A myth was born. In this mediadrenched world prime ministers and ministers must be on guard all the time, ready to react and comment on a multiplicity of daily events, ranging from the most important to the most trivial.
“Unless you can offer a view on each and every issue of the day, you are accused of indecisiveness.
“Your views are not just sought on political issues: you are pushed to venture opinions on sport, films, theatre, pop groups and even the soap operas that dominate evening TV.”
Fifer Brown, a lifelong fan of Raith Rovers, added: “I was uniquely unqualified to comment on all of these subjects – possibly with the exception of football.”